ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND GROUP PLC is within a rising trend. Continued positive development within the trend channel is indicated. The stock has broken up through the resistance at pence 50.00. A further rise to 100p (1) is predicted in the medium term. The stock is assessed as technically positive for the medium long term.

Good luck -

And all of the above comments seem good for LLOY too, which is a little more lively.

Off to a flier on upgrades.

How high today?????

RBS climbs as BofA Merrill Lynch hike target
Royal Bank of Scotland (UK:RBS) (RBS) shares shot 7% higher to 49 pence as Bank of America Merrill Lynch raised its price target to 65 pence from 45 pence. "We still believe RBS is one of most geared banks into recovery in Europe. We think it can turn a profit in 2010 and that profitability can recover strongly thereafter driven by rising margins, tight cost control and falling bad debts," the broker said. Morgan Stanley added that it prefers RBS over Lloyds (UK:LLOY) though it has both at equal-weight.

i took my final profits here 3/4 days ago ..... too early some would grizzle; true enough, but it was a decent profit and can buy again if so moved

UK Government Stake In RBS Hits Profit Level As Shares Up 9%
By Patricia Kowsmann
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

LONDON (Dow Jones)

Shares of Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (RBS) on Friday surpassed the 49.9 pence level needed for the U.K. government to break even on its investment, following bullish analysts notes.

At 1111 GMT, shares were up 4.10 pence, or 9%, at 50.05 pence.

In one note, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said the 84%-government owned bank could turn to a profit this year as bad-debt charges and costs fall and margins increase.

In addition, it said, RBS shares could double in value over two years on an improved earnings outlook.

"While it is still relatively early days in the restructuring of RBS, we think that the 2009 results marked an inflection point and that the earnings power and surplus capital will become increasingly apparent as we move through 2010 and into 2011," the firm said, raising its target price to 65 pence from 45 pence and keeping the stock at a Buy.

Morgan Stanley also increased its target price on the bank to 50 pence from 40 pence on lower impairments, good asset quality and capital position. It kept the rating at equalweight.

RBS received the largest government bailout in the world after it fell into disarray when the financial crisis intensified and revealed deep problems in the ABN Amro businesses it got in an ill-timed acquisition, late in 2007.

The government's net outlay to buy 90.6 billion RBS shares under its rescue plan stands at GBP45.2 billion, indicating RBS shares must trade above 49.9 pence to put the state into the black on the holding.

The government, however, has said it is in no rush to sell the stake and could hold onto it for several more years.

could we be looking at another good week with rbs lets hope so

Good news......

http://ftalphaville.ft.com/thecut/2010/05/24/240221/rbs-nears-e400m-sale/

With all the hype with 1 Trades for warrants, free downloads pushing you to buy them because 'they' value them at 75p is total bol****s - Nothing more than a blatant ramp by the institutions to get you to part with your money. The fact is they have dropped by over 25% in the last 6 weeks - Next they'll hit you with a rights issue like Lloyds did, stay clear - Wont see 75p in a Long Time. Avoid

I still believe there is a lot more pain to come in the banking sector, and the housing sector also.
2517

I agree George, To be honest the old adage 'sell in May and go away' springs to mind - When to come back is what I'm trying to work out - probably 2 to 3 years possibly. Market Crash is imminent - Finding a sector thats recession proof is the answer, tell me, I'm still searching !

market crash is imminent
so tells us all what short positions you have taken

as for sector thats recession proof , it makes no difference at all if the market is going to crash!

MATERIAL FACT


Banco Santander announces that its affiliate Santander UK has submitted an offer
in the tender process of approximately 300 branches of Royal Bank Of Scotland
that is taking place in the United Kingdom. Currently, it is not possible to say
when the tender process will conclude.

could we see a return to 50p ?

cheaper to buy Andrex mate, cos this is what they are - Toilet Paper

StockMarketWire.com
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group reported a second quarter operating profit of 869m, up from 713m in the first quarter of 2010. Core headline operating profits were stable at 2.193bn and attributable profit was 257m.

The group achieved break-even for the first half of the year.

Retail & Commercial was up on rising NIM and continued favourable credit trends, but Global Banking & Markets declined from a strong first quarter. RBS said it was on track against strategic plan targets.

Second quarter operating profit improved to 869m compared with 713m in the first quarter. Operating profit in the first half totalled 1.582bn, compared with a loss of 3.354bn in the first half of 2009.

Excluding gains recorded on the fair value of own debt, Group second quarter operating profit was 250m, down from the first quarter but substantially improved from a 2.573bn loss in the second quarter of 2009.

Net of restructuring and other non-operating costs, including a 500m accounting credit related to the Asset Protection Scheme, profit before tax was 1.157bn, compared with a loss of 21m in the first quarter of 2010.

Second quarter net attributable profit was 257m, compared with a loss of 248m in Q1 2010. The attributable profit in the first half was 9m, compared with a loss of 1.042bn a year earlier.

Core businesses' headline operating profit held steady at 2.193bn, with progress in Retail & Commercial but lower revenue in Global Banking & Markets, reflecting a weaker capital markets environment.

Group net interest margin was 2.03%, up 11 basis points relative to the first quarter, led by the Core retail and commercial businesses, where NIM expanded by 14 basis points.

Total impairments fell from 2.675bn in the first quarter to 2.487bn the second quarter, reflecting gradual strengthening of the global economy.

Non-Core's run-off programme remains on track, with funded assets reduced by 20bn during Q2.

Core Tier 1 capital ratio stood at 10.5% at end-June, compared with 10.6% at 31st March 2010, and Tier 1 ratio at 12.8%. The recent EU-wide stress tests confirmed that RBS remains well capitalised, with a strong Tier 1 capital ratio under both the benchmark and adverse scenarios.

The run-off of the Non-Core loan book drove a further improvement in the Group loan to deposit ratio (LDR) to 128% from 131% in the first quarter of 2010. Core LDR remained stable at 102%.

In Clubby portfolio

I just punted a buy with these. Any views?

Should have taken a place kick!

Interim Management Statement

Key points


Operating profit before impairment losses, and fair value of own debt, was 2,679 million, down 2% compared with the second quarter of 2010. Pre-impairment profit improved in RBS Insurance on lower claims, which partially offset weaker performance in GBM. Retail & Commercial improved modestly, as did Non-Core.


Retail & Commercial pre-impairment operating profit improved by 17% to 5,429 million for the nine months ended 30 September 2010, but this was more than offset by weaker GBM and RBS Insurance performance given challenging environments. Non-Core improved significantly to a pre-impairment profit of 376 million.


For Q3 relative to Q2, Core impairments were down 29% to 782 million, with improvements in all divisions except Ulster Bank where credit losses remained at elevated levels.


For the nine months ended 30 September 2010, Non-Core reported substantially lower impairments, down 42%, with Core impairments down 16%. Group impairments fell 34% overall.